4 January 2024: Update on NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire critical incident

A critical incident for the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire NHS system remains in place today (4 January 2024).

The critical incident was declared yesterday, in response to the high number of people needing care and a reduction in staffing levels, which have led to very long waits in our A&E departments and for admission to our wards.

All parts of the NHS in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire are working together to support A&Es and the position has been stabilised, but significant pressure remains.

The critical incident means that all NHS organisations can work even closer together by sharing resources, ensuring demand is spread more evenly and appropriately across NHS services and collaborating more closely with social care to speed up discharges. All of these actions are helping to tackle the challenges being experienced in A&E and the response from NHS organisations and their teams has been excellent. 

Dr Dave Briggs, Medical Director at NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, said: “We are extremely grateful for all the effort and hard work of people working in the NHS, social care and our partners, the collective response is making a huge difference.

“We would also like to thank the public for their support, understanding and for following advice to only attend A&E if they have a life-threatening illness or injury that cannot be treated elsewhere.

“People can continue to really help us by supporting relatives to return home from hospital when they are medically fit. Help with practical arrangements like transport, making sure they have a key, that there is food and drink at home and that they have medication and any equipment they need to aid their recovery can make a huge difference.”

Other ways in which you can help us include:

• Only call 999 or attend A&E if there is a life-threatening emergency. Non urgent attendances will be redirected to other services for onward care and treatment.
• When you need urgent medical care but it’s not an emergency, please visit NHS 111 online or call NHS111 for advice on how to get the care you need at any time of day or night.
• Urgent Treatment Centres treat injuries including sprains, strains, suspected fractures, bites, cuts, scalds and other non-emergency conditions. Waiting times are usually much shorter than A&E. We have UTCs at:
  • Nottingham – The NHS Urgent Care Centre (next to the BBC building) is open every day from 7am-7pm. You don’t need an appointment to attend. Seaton House, London Road, Nottingham, NG2 4LA Tel: 0115 883 8500
  • Newark – Newark Hospital is open 9am-10pm (last patient admitted at 9.30pm). It can be found on Boundary Road, NG24 4DE
• Use the NHS App for access to a wide range of services and information, such as accessing medical records, booking and managing appointments, reviewing medication and ordering prescriptions as well as checking symptoms.
• Members of the public can also help ease pressures by using their local pharmacy. Pharmacies can help with allergies, constipation, headaches, earaches and many other ailments. You can find opening hours for your local pharmacy here. 

See our website for more information on knowing where to go for medical care.